easyJet have announced that it has reached the milestone of more than 60m passengers who have travelled with the airline in the past 12 months to 31 May 2013.

When easyJet was founded in November 1995 the airline first took to the skies with just two aircraft flying between two domestic UK destinations. Eighteen years on, the airline now operates 212 aircraft flying to 137 airports in 33 countries spanning Europe and North Africa.

Carolyn McCall, easyJet’s CEO said: “We are proud to be celebrating this landmark achievement of flying over 60m passengers across our network for the first time in one year. “It’s testament to the hard work and dedication of everybody at easyJet.

“Our success lies in the fact that we provide low fares and friendly service on modern, punctual aircraft across a network that offers a choice of over 600 routes.”

More than one hundred of easyJet’s 800 Luton based staff gathered outside the airline’s Hangar 89 head office at LondonLutonAirport to mark the 60 million milestone and celebrate the airline’s continued success and popularity.

The growth and success of the airline has been exponential reaching 10 million passengers carried for the first time in one year in July 2001- just six years after easyJet’s inaugural flight. easyJet has since continued to report an increase in passenger numbers year on year reaching 20 million for the first time in August 2003 rising to 30 million by November 2005 and then doubling again to its May 2013 level of over 60 million, for the first time.

Of the 60,048,534 passengers who’ve booked with easyJet in the last year, many Brits are using the airline’s easy and affordable services when flying to European holiday and leisure destinations. Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Geneva and Malaga are firm favourites with just under seven million passengers flying in and out of these destinations alone. Spain remains popular for Brits with over 8.5 million seats available on easyJet flights.

Over 10 million of the airline’s total passengers this year have flown easyJet on business – proving that the strength of its network which sees it flying on more of Europe’s top 100 routes than any other carrier has enabled easyJet to attract more customers who are flying on business. easyJet’s industry leading on time performance and products like flexiFare, allocated seating and easyJetPlus card have also been designed with easyJet’s business customers in mind to offer maximum flexibility and choice.

Ryanair passengers can buy City Sightseeing tickets both when booking flights on the Ryanair.com website and on board their Ryanair flight for tours operating in cities including Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, London, Milan, Oslo, Rome, Stockholm and Tallinn.

Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said: “Having pioneered low cost air travel, Ryanair has opened up the continent to passengers from across Europe and now our 80m passengers, travelling on the lowest fares, can see the sights of over 40 European cities for less, thanks to our new partnership with City Sightseeing, which we’re very pleased to launch today. City Sightseeing tickets are available to buy on the Ryanair.com website and on board Ryanair flights.”

City Sightseeing Director of Sales & Marketing, Mandy Gaughan, said: “We are looking forward to this new and exciting chapter in the development of City Sightseeing and our tours. Our presence on the tourism stage as the preferred provider of hop-on hop-off sightseeing tours throughout Europe’s favourite cities sits well with our alliance with Ryanair. Together, I believe we can offer joined up tourism, making the whole vacation booking process far easier for travellers.”

“With continued uncertainty over the economy, it’s not just the big travel decisions such as ‘Do I go on holiday?’ or ‘Where to go?’ that are affected,” commented Angus Struthers, TripAdvisor spokesperson. “Being cost conscious applies to all levels of a holiday, including tipping – the often relied upon source of income for many in the service industry.”

For the third consecutive year, one in three Brits said they’re tipping less on holiday due to financial concerns:

·         31% of Brits said they’re giving smaller tips or have stopped tipping entirely on holiday due to the economy.  However, the situation appears to be improving having reduced from 33% in 2012 and 35% in 2011

·         The effect of the economy is affecting Italian and Spanish travellers considerably more, with 59% and 54% respectively of respondents from these markets stating that they tip less or don’t tip any more when on holiday.

·         German travellers tipping habits are the least affected in Europe by the economy, with 21% tipping less or not at all and are the nation surveyed most likely to always give a tip (10%).

Brits are trailing behind the rest of Europe on tipping knowledge as UK travellers are revealed as Europe’s most confused tippers for the third year running – and it’s getting worse:

·         Just 19% of Brits (down from 46% last year) always know what is expected tipping-wise in other countries and therefore not surprisingly are the nation most likely to adopt a general tipping rule, with the most common amount being 10% of the total bill being applied by one in three (32%).

·         Other European travellers put the UK to shame: on average, 30% of European respondents claim they know what they’re expected to tip abroad, with Germans still  claiming the crown of most informed – 74% said they always know the rules

Friendliness of service is the ultimate deciding factor when tipping in a restaurant for Brits:

·         62% of Brits claim that friendliness of service is of the highest importance when tipping a waiter along with 58% of other European travellers

·         For 15% of Russians, tipping a waiter depends on attractiveness of staff while 4% of Brits claim to base their tips on how easy on the eye a waiter is

Confusion around tipping comes with consequences:

·         Only 2% of Brits (the second lowest behind Germans (1%)) claim never to tip when on holiday

·         7% of Brits say they’ve had a holiday ruined by a tipping experience

·         14% of Brits say they’ve been confronted by a waiter about a tip

·         Over a quarter (28%) of Brits feel tipping should be abolished and included in the bill

·         10% of Brits say tipping on holiday makes them anxious, compared to 8% of all Europeans surveyed

·         20% of Brits say the US tipping culture puts them off travelling to the country, while just 10% of all Europeans surveyed agree

“The tipping culture can be cause for anxiety, and where other nations claim to know what’s expected in different countries, for Brits the general solution seems to be to tip nearly all the time and apply a general 10% of the total bill rule.” concluded TripAdvisor’s Angus Struthers.

The company will continue with its traditional Black Tie rule for  “Formal Nights” – usually three or four during a two-week cruise.

But the dress code for the other evenings on board will be simplified to “Smart Casual”, allowing a more relaxed feel while maintaining the high standards embraced and enjoyed by guests.

The previous “informal” dress code is being removed, and with the “Smart Casual” edict, gentleman are at liberty to wear a jacket and tie. Equally, they may prefer to opt for an open-necked shirt, with Chinos or smart, dark-coloured jeans.

For ladies, the choice could be an elegant dress or casual separates.

Nathan Philpot, Sales and Marketing Director for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “While many cruise lines have done away with dress codes altogether, we are aware that a significant number of our guests welcome the opportunity to dress-up on special occasions, such as the ‘Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party’. So we will be continuing with the popular Black Tie theme on these nights.

“However, we have listened to our guests’ feedback and there is a demand from many for a more relaxed and informal dress code for the remainder of the evenings on board.

“We hope that, by simplifying the dress code for these, we can make things easier for everyone when packing and ensure that no one feels constrained by too many rules. After all, our guests are on a relaxing cruise holiday!”

The “Theme Nights” aboard Fred. Olsen’s cruise ships will continue, such as “Tropical” and “Red, White and Blue”, with dedicated shows and activities on board.

Guests are welcome to dress up in fancy-dress costume for these, or adopt the new “Smart Casual” dress code as an alternative.

Book your sunshine cruise here

MAKE your bookings for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ holidays through Tenerife Sunshine Travel Agency, located in Los Cristianos, near the Cristian Sur apartments.

Tenerife departures are available from November 2013 until April 2014, and  other worldwide departures are also at hand.

The Tenerife Sunshine Travel Agency is open seven days a week, so call 922 751 867, or email info@tenerifesunshine.com for further information, or to make an appointment with a Travel Consultant.

However, you can kiss goodbye to the chance to sip complimentary cocktails in First Class if you’re flying as a hen party. The flyers voted least likely to get an upgrade are women in their late teens, wearing revealing clothing and travelling as part of a group.

For those who don’t fit the bill, crew have outlined how passengers can up their chances of getting that elusive free upgrade. While a few manners will go far, frequent flyers and solo travellers are odds-on favourites to get bumped up to premium, if seats are available.

Almost three quarters (72%) of cabin crew said they were more inclined to offer a free upgrade to a passenger who was flying alone. Other factors that increase the likelihood of escaping economy are being a frequent flyer and having an injury. Nearly two thirds revealed that a passenger with a broken limb was more likely to get the premium experience for free.

In a separate poll of passengers, they found that travellers will do pretty much anything to get a luxury seat up front. Three quarters said they would tell a few fibs if it improved their chances, while others would pretend to be newlyweds (14%), 6% would feign illness or injury and 7% would ditch their partner and pretend to be travelling solo.

Traveller tips for upgrading

Travel at quiet times

You get a better chance of upgrading to business class by booking a flight on bank holidays and at other times of the year when business users are less likely to fly as the seats tend not to be taken up.

Spend lots of money

Sometimes you have to invest to get a return. Relationship Executive Matthew Smith says: “My wife and I got upgraded when we moved here from the US on BA. Not sure why, but we think spending $1600 on baggage fees helped.”

Be loyal

Ewan Gray, Director, APAC advises joining the airline’s loyalty programme: “Even if it’s the lowest level, you still get rewarded first. I know this from a friend at BA… and I’ve got a card for each partnership accordingly.

Be early

Your flight may only have one or two upgrade places available, so maximise your chances of bagging them by rocking up at check-in 11 hours before the scheduled departure. If it backfires, you’ll have to kill a murderous amount of time in Starbuck’s.

Be late

Being late has worked – if you are lucky and if the flight is overbooked, you can get the premium class ticket.

Be nice

Kindness pays, so pay it forward with interest and you could be in first class in the blink of a smile.

Dress up

Leave the tracksuit at home and dress as if you’ve just been browsing the FT in the exec lounge – either full-on formal or business casual (pink herringbone shirt, beige chinos, tan brogues) does the job.

Source: skyscanner.net

The awards are a celebration of cycling in the capital, showcasing ground-breaking new cycling initiatives, as well as highlighting the best community and youth cycling projects. Over 2,500 people voted and Heathrow beat stiff competition from The Guardian and RoehamptonUniversity to win in its category

The Cycle Hub is the only one of its kind operating at an airport in the country. Since launching two years ago 1,700 people have joined, resulting in an almost 45% increase in employees cycling to work at Heathrow – with up to 570 people doing so every day. It offers a ‘one stop shop’ for cyclists, including a cycle purchase scheme and free cycle maintenance for airport employees, maintenance training and emergency call-outs for mechanical problems. The Cycle Hub was created in partnership with Transport for London, with TfL providing 430 parking stands to Heathrow.

Alongside the Cycle Hub, Heathrow has many measures in place to help both employees and local residents who don’t work at the airport, travel to and around it in an environmentally friendly way. Heathrow operates the only free travel zone in the world, which includes 15 local bus services, and free travel between terminals for all staff and passengers on the underground.

Allan Gregory, Director for Surface Access at Heathrow, said: “It’s great that our Cycle Hub is being recognised and we’re delighted with this award. We want to keep the Cycle Hub growing and want to extend its reach within the local community and surrounding businesses, whilst continuing to support commuters travelling to work sustainably.”

Ben Plowden, Director of Planning Surface Transport at TfL, said: “We are delighted that Heathrow has won this award. Our partnership with Heathrow to create the new Cycle Hub has had such a positive impact on the local workforce, encouraging more people than ever before to enjoy the benefits and freedom of taking to two wheels.”

Mike Gormally, the Heathrow employee who nominated the Cycle Hub, said “When I realised just how well the Hub was doing I was really keen to put Heathrow forwards. Cycling to work is brilliant, it helps to save money, gets you some fresh air and exercise, and of course it helps cut down on road traffic too. Naturally it can be daunting starting out, but initiatives like The Cycle Hub are a great support, regardless of whether you’re making those first tentative outings or have been cycling for years.”

The new type of fare, which launched back in February, is already proving popular with customers on the initial five destinations from Gatwick – Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Jersey, Tunis and Turin.

Additional hand baggage only routes now on offer include Genoa and Glasgow from only £39 one-way. For those wanting some summer sunshine, fares to Barcelona, Nice and Venice all start from £49 one-way.

Peter Simpson, director of Gatwick for British Airways, said: “The new fares have been very well received by customers and we have now decided to make the discounted prices much more widely available.

“We are confident that they will prove popular during the busy summer season as short-haul customers continue to take advantage of our generous two-bag hand luggage policy. Those who still want to check in a bag will simply pay the same price they do now.”

Customers choosing the “hand baggage only” fare can continue to take advantage of the airline’s hand luggage allowance and carry on a good-sized case (56cm x 45cm x 25cm), plus a handbag or laptop bag.

Children enjoy the same hand luggage allowance as adults, so families can take advantage of the new fare by combining their allowances. Families can also take buggies to the aircraft side, bring on a child seat and enjoy free seat allocation three days in advance of travel.

All British Airways’ short-haul customers will continue to receive free seat allocation within 24 hours of departure, priority boarding for families, complimentary food and drink, high levels of customer service and a frequent flyer programme that rewards them with Avios and tier points.

To make the new fare clear and easy for customers to identify, ba.com has been redesigned with a special symbol flagging the fare throughout the booking process.

Ryanair passengers travelling to/from London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted and Manchester can avail of direct National Express connections to and from the airport door by booking online on the Ryanair.com website or purchasing tickets onboard Ryanair flights in the UK. Since launching the partnership at the end of March, thousands of Ryanair passengers have travelled on National Express services in the UK.

Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said: “Since launching in March, Ryanair’s partnership with National Express has been a huge success, with thousands of passengers travelling not only on the lowest airfares, but availing of affordable coach travel.”

National Express UK Coach Managing Director, Tom Stables said: “We are delighted to see our partnership with Ryanair is proving such a flyaway success. National Express operate millions of passenger journeys to UK airports each year, with 24/7 services running directly to the airport terminals. This partnership means it is now simpler than ever for holidaymakers and business travellers to book affordable airport travel.”

More information available from www.ryanair.com

It began officially on Wednesday and, after months of preparation, the last aircraft will leave the hangar, new resorts will open their doors for the first time and the largest cruise ship in the fleet will head across the Atlantic to sail theMediterraneanfor the warmer climes.

Thomson Airways will make 19,500 round-trips to holiday hotspots and, in addition to engineers at Hangar 61 ensuring the fleet of 57 aircraft are in tip-top condition, 3,200 hours have been spent hand-cleaning each plane.

They have also been busy laying over 10,000m of new carpet in the cabins, as well as creating room for nearly 400 new, extra-legroom seats.

On board, the 2,600 cabin crew will be serving over 100,000 cans of coke and recycling around half-a-million drinks cans.

This summer, the doors will open for the first time at new hotels, including the new 5-star Sensatori Resort inTurkeyand the 5-star Holiday Village Majorca.

Nearly 3,000 Thomson and First Choice staff have arrived in over 60 resorts across the world, ready to welcome holiday-makers to nearly 3,000 hotels.

The spa teams are preparing for the 40,000 treatments, and Guest Relations’ teams are getting ready to hand out hundreds of thousands of wristbands in all-inclusive resorts.

First Choice will teach over 4,000 kids to swim across its 12 Holiday Village Swim Academies, and Thomson’s overseas wedding experts will congratulate the 3,000 couples who will tie the knot on the beach this summer.

Thomson’s four cruise ships will take 120,000 passengers to 109 ports of call over the 22-week summer period.

The ships will be fully stocked, and it is anticipated that 10,000 litres of ice cream, 60,000 litres of beer, 72,000 tea bags and 1,120kg of coffee will be consumed each week.

And the Entertainment Team having learned 80 dance routines will have a choice of over 2,000 costumes.

Ian Chapman, Director of Holiday Experience from Thomson & First Choice says: “This is always our busiest time of year as we prepare to take millions of people away on their summer holidays.

“As the weather has been so bad, people are even more excited about escaping to the sunshine, so it’s important we’re ready to welcome them.”

From toilet rolls to teaspoons, British Airways loads thousands of individual items on to each jumbo jet before it takes to the skies. With a combined weight of 6,120 kg, the items have to be unloaded and re-loaded before every take-off.

On a typical jumbo jet, the following items are loaded:

1,263 items of metal cutlery

1,291 items of china crockery

538 meal trays

735 glasses

650 paper cups

34 metal teapots

220 drinks stirrers

500 coasters

233 toothpicks

2,000 ice cubes

99 full bottles and 326 quarter bottles of wine

700 small cans of fizzy drinks

164 bags of nuts in Club World

337 cushions and pillows

337 sets of headphones

337 headrest covers

435 air sickness bags

58 toilet rolls

40 extension seatbelts for children

340 safety cards

337 copies of High Life magazine

40 skyflyer packs for children

5 first aid kits

Rod Green, British Airways’ head global supply chain said: “It’s a huge job getting a jumbo in to the air, let alone a fleet of 52 every day. There are teams across the airline working together 365 days a year to ensure that all 27,260 items are delivered on time and to the right place to ensure our customers enjoy the very best travel experience. When we receive our new aircraft, the challenge will be even greater.”

It’s been 42 years since the first British Airways (formerly BOAC) jumbo jet took to the skies and in July 2013 when it takes delivery of its first A380, the number of items loaded on to a plane will increase by approximately 10,000 to cater for two full decks of customers.

British Airways has 52 jumbo jet aircraft in its fleet.